Masconomet Regional School DistrictTeaching and Learning Initiatives Update

Art Business &

Computer Ed.English Foreign

Language

Mathematics Music Science, Technology& Engineering

Pupil PersonnelServices

Health &Physical Ed.

SocialStudies

Athletics Guidance & Health Services

National Initiatives• 21st Century Skills• Technology Standards• Common Core State Standards (CCSS)• Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for

College and Careers (PARCC) • New Educator Evaluation• Edwin- state’s vision for an integrated suite

of tools to help educators

21st Century vs. Industrial Age

• Communication • Collaboration• Critical Thinking• Creativity

• Global Awareness

21st Century Skills Implementation Issues

• Need time to develop activities that incorporate these skills

• Need a standard set of tools for staff and students to use

• Need training to teach best practices and strategies

Technology Standards• Identify specific computer skills students

need to master by grade level prior to graduation

• Defines digital literacy as an essential skill

Technology Standard Implementation Issues

• Determining how to weave these skills into existing course activities where possible

• Determining skill level when entering into Masco

• Determining what experiences are best taught in separate units and who will teach these units

Common Core State Standards

• A common set of learning standards.

• These standards merge the MA curriculum frameworks with technology standards (digital literacy) and 21st century skills for math and ELA

CCSS (i.e. literate)

Curriculum Map (What topics and

when)

Classroom Activities (How do

we teach topics)

Difference

MA Curriculum Frameworks

CCSS

Literacy

Reading and Writing

Reading, writing, and speaking using multiple modes of

communication

Test

MCAS

PARCC

Common Core State Standards - Tasks• Teachers must develop curriculum maps

that tie classroom activities to the new standards

• Teachers must design and/or redesign lessons (identify resources, create activities, and develop assessments).

• These new lessons must then be evaluated and monitored to ensure the new standards are met.

Common Core State Standards Implementation Issues

• This process could be done much quicker if we could record and share lessons and practices in a way that was searchable

• Need tools to create/design interactive, dynamic, personalized, engaging lessons to meet the standards

• Need staff training related to preparing con-tent and resources in this new environment

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

• Assessment tool that will likely replace the MCAS test for Math and ELA

• Current target date for change FY15 for Middle School, FY17 for High School

• Online vs. pen and paper test – training and orientation will be needed for staff and students

PARCC Implementation Issues

• Transition details are currently unavailable

• Schools, including Masco, do not currently have the front or back end infrastructure in place to administer and online test

• Students will need testing experience and practice in an online format prior to taking the new high stakes test

New Educator Evaluation

• 4 Standards – Curriculum, Planning, and

Assessment– Teaching all Students– Family and Community Engagement– Professional Culture

• Evidence Based Evaluation Rubrics – (evidence portfolios)

New Educator Evaluation

• Eventually student performance will be linked to evaluation (to be defined by state)

• Must negotiate certain aspects of the new evaluation with applicable employee bargaining units (teachers, administrators, principals, and superintendent)

• Implementation plan on some level must commence for Masco by September 2013

New Educator EvaluationImplementation Issues

• Need portfolio product to store exemplars and evidence

• Need tools to help facilitate the evaluation process

• Staff need to be trained in all aspects• Final details are currently unavailable

because we are in negotiation with staff

Edwin• Cloud based

software

• DESE vision for a comprehensive integrated suite of tools and resources to help educators

Edwin Implementation??

• May or may not be useful to Masco

• Limited pilot to a few RTTT school districts in late winter, early spring of this year

• Not free, must pay to access and utilize system. Details not yet available.

Implementation - need to:

• Develop, store and easily share instructional resources

• Store artifacts as evidence for the new educator evaluation

• A common set of instructional tools that are available to staff and students

Implementation - need to:

• Analyze the effectiveness of resources, activities, assessment, and pedagogy on student performance so that we can identify good practice, personalize instruction, and improve learning outcomes

• Tie new standards to course activities

• Train staff

Some solutions:

• Institute a 1:1 program with associated infrastructure upgrades

• Learning Management

System

Mobile Device Pilot Update

• Pilot teachers and students completed pre-pilot surveys.

• Pilot teachers are documenting classroom experiences and evaluating impact on student learning

• Teachers will switch device types this month

Mobile Device Pilot Update - Infrastructure

• Back End Infrastructure

– Firewalls & Routers– Content Filters & Email Filters– Servers & Storage– Switches & Cabling– Internet Bandwidth– Wireless Access Points– Monitoring Software

• Internet Bandwidth & Content Filter Low/UnderPowered for Mobile Classrooms

• Wireless Density (Concentration of Access Points) Insufficient to Support 1:1

Mobile Device Pilot Update – What We’ve Learned

• What Is Working Well

– Firewall & Router– Servers & Storage– Cabling & Some Switching– Internet Providers– Email Filter– Wireless Access Point System

Mobile Device Pilot Update – What We’ve Learned

• What Needs Improvement

– Internet Bandwidth– Content Filter– Some Switches– Wireless Access Points– Monitoring Software

Mobile Device Pilot Update – Corrections

• What Needs to Be Done

– Add Internet Bandwidth w/ Existing Providers– Replace Content Filter– Upgrade Needed Switches– Add Wireless Access Points– Procure Monitoring Software for Device Mgmt

Mobile Device Pilot Update – Balanced Approach

• Shifting Resources

– Shift to Bolster Network, Bandwidth, Wireless– Shift Away from Big Data Center & Draw

Down Old Servers, Desktops, Labs, Printers– Reduced Cost to Maintain Data Center– Maximize ROI of Existing Resources

Learning Management System (LMS)

Platform to facilitate teaching and learning in a 21st Century educational environment.

Student Information System (SIS)A software product used to manage the

administrative aspects of student information (attendance, discipline, schedules, transcripts, etc.)

LMS Study History• June 2010, applied for & received a grant to

look at the use of technology in teaching & learning . Those involved recommended the formation of 2 study groups (LMS/SIS & MDP)

• The group was established in the Spring of 2011 along with the Student Information System study group.

• SC made an initial appropriation of $100,000 for the procurement of the system.

Study group charge

• Review the district’s current systems;

• Review systems that others are using in the industry;

• Determine the district’s particular requirements;

Study group charge

• Establish criteria for Masconomet’s system;

• Prepare an RFP to procure any software and/or hardware needed;

• Evaluate the responses; and

• Prepare an implementation plan.

Role of LMS

1) Facilitate the consistent delivery of course content

2) Provide a structure for course management

3) Provide tools for:Curriculum development Communication

Collaboration Calendaring

Task management

Important Elements

Overarching goal - Keep the focus on teaching and learning, not on being a technology expert

Three areas of focus used to evaluate LMS’s:

1) Environmental

2) User Interface and Tools

3) Support

Important Elements - Environmental

• Provide a secure environment for teaching digital literacy skills

• Single sign on to access information

• Tools to aid in differentiating instruction

Important Elements – User Interface and Tools

• One system with all teaching tools• Simple User Interface• Robust assessment and content delivery

tools• Searchable content repository• Ability to tie standards to instructional

activities• Ability to view student performance profile

in one place

Important Elements - Support

• The District retains ownership of all resources

• Minimize the total cost of ownership• Breadth and depth of product support• Stable company that is committed to

meeting the needs of the K12 market

Evaluation Process

1) Request for Proposal developed based on criteria noted in this presentation

2) Paper review of Proposal submissions

3) Product demonstrations – presentations and sandbox product testing

Evaluation Process

4) Targeted investigations based on study group concerns

5) Site visits

6) Evaluated products against the criteria

7) Write a report of findings and recommendations for next steps

Summary

1) To implement the CCSS, PARCC, the technology standards, and teach 21st Century skill fluency, a 1:1 (hardware) environment is necessary.

2) To achieve the national standards and expectations established for teaching and learning, as well as provide the software platform for a 1:1 program, an LMS is needed.